Blind stitching attachment for sewing machines



Sept. 6, 1955 w. c. HAINES BLIND STITCHING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Aug. 6, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WILLIAM C. HAINES ATTORNEY Sept. 6, 1955 w. c. HAINES 2,716,954

BLIND STITCHING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Aug. 6, 1952 3 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR WILLIAM C.HA|NES ATTORNEY p 6 1955 w. c. HAINES 2,716,954

BLIND STITCHING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Aug. 6, 1952 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WILLIAM C. HAINES P BY ATTORNEY United States Patent BLIND STITCHING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES William C. Haines, La Salle, Ill.

Application August 6, 1952, Serial No. 302,910

25 Claims. (Cl. 112176) This invention relates to a method of blind stitching of fabrics and to an attachment for sewing machines for carrying out the method, and it is an improvement over the complex mechanisms now known and used for this purpose. This improvement comprises a presser foot of very simple construction and design, which involves very few parts and can be manufactured by mass production methods very economically, so that it will easily be within the reach of all users of sewing machines.

In known machines for blind stitching, the material is moved laterally or in zig-zag fashion with respect to the needle of the machine. With the use of the present invention, the lateral motion is eliminated and the material need be fed to the machine only longitudinally.

The invention is predicated upon a very simple phenomenon. When a piece of fabric is folded upon itself, the folded edge appears as a loop in cross section unless said edge is flattened or creased. If an instrument or tool is pressed against a point on said folded edge, it will have a tendency to project the folded edge at the point pressed in a lateral direction beyond the margin of the remaining portion of the folded edge.

In the practice of the invention, therefore, to form a blind stitch, the material is folded and the fold is guided under the presser foot described herein and is fed longitudinally past and closely adjacent the needle with the folded edge at a position slightly to one side of the needle, and the folded edge is periodically so pressed at a point closely adjacent the needle as to project said edge laterally into the path of the needle at that point. This results in the needle catching the folded edge along its margin on the downward stroke of the needle and uniting it to the subjacent or base ply of the fabric.

The presser foot for carrying out this function is easily adaptable to the various known makes of sewing machines in use.

The improved presser foot comprises a simple spring finger which guides the folded cloth to the needle of the machine, and periodically, under the control of a cam, projects the folded edge of the cloth under the needle so that the folded edge is stitched at that point to the base ply. The cam may be in the form of a presser wheel driven by the moving cloth. The distance between blind stitches made in this manner is controlled by the diameter of the cam wheel, if only one cam is used, or by the number of cams on said wheel, if more than one cam is used, as will further hereinafter be disclosed.

For a more comprehensive knowledge of the invention,

l, partly in section, with a piece of folded cloth to be stitched shown in relation to the needle.

Figure 3 is a detail showing how the folded edge of the cloth is moved into the path of the needle at the moment the blind stitch is made.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the presser foot shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of same.

Figure 6 is a side elevation.

Figure 7 is a detail, partially in section, taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 1, in the direction of the arrows, showing the relationship of the spring fingers to the cloth.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional detail taken along the axis of the cam wheel of the presser foot.

Figure 9 is a partial plan view of a modification.

Figure 10 is a view of a further modified form of the invention.

Figure 11 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a piece of cloth which has been blind stitched in accordance with the invention.

Figure 12 is a side elevation of the attachment, showing the side opposite that illustrated in Figure 6.

Figure 13 is a further modified form of finger in which the construction is designed to lift the folded edge of the fabric slightly adjacent the needle before it is projected into the path of the needle.

The invention comprises a presser foot made for attachment to the presser bar of a sewing machine and has a heel portion 10 and a toe portion 11, the latter being pivoted for vertical movement about the shaft 12 supported between the arms 13, 13a of the heel 10. A presser wheel 14 is also mouned on the shaft 12 between the arms 13, 13a, and is rotatable thereon. The presser wheel has a serrated or knurled periphery 14a and a cam notch 14b on one side. A conventional needle bar is 1 shown at A and a needle at D. Instead of a notch in the reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which a side of the presser wheel, a projection or other means might be used as a cam, and more than one notch or cam may be used, according to the blind stitch interval desired.

The toe portion 11 of the presser foot carries a flat spring member 15 secured to a side of the foot by a screw 16. This member 15 has an integral arm 17 extending laterally in the direction of the presser wheel, the arm being substantially L-shaped and having a foot portion 17a extending forwardly and engaging the notched side of the presser wheel. The spring member 15 has a forward extension carrying a guiding finger 18 which is substantially at right angles to the member 15, extends downwardly and is positioned in front of and adjacent the needle D and lies at the side of and in contact with the folded edge C of the cloth B. A presser or flattening finger 19 is also formed on the spring 15 adjacent the finger 13, and this finger extends laterally and downwardly towards the cloth B. It has a foot 19a. which lightly engages the upper layer of cloth B closely adjacent the fold line C. As will be seen in Figures 1, la and 7, the folded edge C of the cloth material passes between the fingers 13 and 19.

The bottom face of the presser foot toe 11 has a fold engaging and guiding groove 20 (Figures 4, 5) extending longitudinally thereof and the curved edge or side wall (Figure 8) of this groove engaging the folded edge of the cloth is in alignment with the face 11a of the presser foot toe portion to guide the folded edge of the material.

As the material moves along the device, the folded edge C is lifted slightly by the lip 11); which projects laterally from the side wall 11a, the lip being joined to the wall in which the groove or curve 20 is formed, and it guides and lifts the folded edge C into the curve of the wall 20. This lifting feature is important because the stitch which may have just been formed in the cloth, as it moved past the needle, has a tendency to flatten the material. The curved wall at this point raises the folded edge enough so as to present it for engagement with the finger 18. Otherwise, the finger might pass over the cloth.

The spring member 15 is biased laterally to the left of the needle D by the foot 17a which engages the side wall of the presser wheel, as shown in Figure 1. As the cloth is moved longitudinally past the needle, the presser wheel engages the cloth and is rotated by it. When the cam notch 14b of this wheel reaches the position of the spring foot 17a, the foot slips into the notch, and the whole spring 15 moves laterally to the right in Figures 1, la, carrying with it the fingers 18 and 19. The finger 19 allows the folded edge C to move slightly to the right and the foot 19a of the finger 19 presses against and slightly flattens the folded edge, projecting it very slightly into the downward path of the needle D, all as clearly shown in Figure la, where the foot 17a is shown engaged in the cam notch 14b of the presser wheel. The action of the fingers .18 and 19 in this operation is shown in the full and dotted line positions in Figures 3 and 7.

At this point in the operation, the fold C is stitched to the base layer E. As the material continues to be fed longitudinally, and as the presser wheel 14 continues to rotate, the foot 17:: rides out of the cam notch 14b and the spring member 15, with its integral fingers 18 and 19, is again biased to the left, finger 18 guiding the folded edge C out of the path of the needle.

In the modification shown in Figure 9, the member 15 may or may not be made of spring material, but is yieldably controlled by a tension spring fixed at one end to some part of the presser foot and to the member 15 at the other end, the spring 30 normally biasing the member 15' to the right, or towards the needle. As the presser wheel 14' rotates and the foot 17a slips into the cam notch 14b of the presser wheel, the entire member 15 pivots about the screw 16' which fixes it to the top of the presser foot. The fingers 18' and 19' function as heretofore described.

The principle of operation involved in this invention resides in placing the fold line C of the material to be stitched as close to the needle as possible, without lying directly in its downward path. The fingers 18 and 19, and 18 and 19' accomplish this in the several figures shown, the fingers 18, 18', respectively, guiding the folded edge, and the fingers 19, 19, respectively, flattening the fold slightly, when moved to the right, to project the edge into the downward path of the needle.

When a piece of fabric is folded upon itself, the two plies at the fold line do not normally meet or touch, and a small space is left between them. The function of the fingers 19, 19 is to brush lightly over the folded edge and flatten the material at the point pressed. This is illustrated in Figure 3, the dotted line position indicating the cloth as flattened as the fingers 18, 19 move to the right. In actual practice, the fingers 1.8, 19 would be closer to the folded edge than is shown in the drawing, where some accuracy must he sacrificed for clarity of exposition.

When the edge is flattened, it has a tendency to project the marginal edge at that point laterally towards the needle, bringing said edge into the downward path of the needle for an instant when the stitch is made. Between the period of blind stitches, the needle runs into the base ply of material, along the folded edge C, without stitching it.

in a further modification of the invention, Figure 10, a presser Wheel 14" has a small shoulder 31 projecting from the side at its periphery, the shoulder lying closely adjacent the needle, the wheel being mounted in such a position opposite the needle that when the shoulder is in its lowermost position, its vertical axis would be substantially parallel to that of the needle. As the presser wheel rotates, the folded edge of the material is flattened by the shoulder adjacent the needle and it is momentarily projected into the downward path of the needle for a blind stitch as previously described. In this modification, the presser wheel is supported between the arms 13, 13a of the presser foot, and the folded edge is guided by the groove 26, the marginal edge of the shoulder 31 lying substantially in parallel alignment with the curved side wall of said groove, but very slightly to one side thereof.

In still a further modification, as shown in Figure 13, the member 15b has a curved arm 1712 which extends towards and engages the presser wheel, and it has a pair of downwardly extending fingers in the form of a yoke. The curved finger 18b, in this modification, lifts the folded edge C as shown, and when the arm 17b drops into the cam notch of the presser wheel, the other finger 1% projects the folded edge into the downward path of the needle. The remaining portion of the folded edge, of course, is guided by the groove 20 in the bottom of the presser foot.

The curved upper edge of the yoke between the fingers 18b, 19b, tends to keep the folded edge rounded in an open, as distinguished from a fiat, fold and when the edge C of the fabric so held is presented to the needle, said needle penetrates the thickness of the material at the edge without penetrating the inner surface of the fabric in the fold. The curved finger 18b may be slightly longer than the finger 19b.

The member 15b has an integral vertical post 15b to which a spring 30 may be hooked, the other end of the spring being fixed to the body of the presser foot as disclosed in connection with Figure 9.

It will be understood that changes in the details of construction and the design may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, a guiding groove on said foot adjacent the working point for guiding a folded edge of material past the needle but at a position laterally thereof, pressing means on said foot for periodically so pressing said folded edge at a point closely adjacent the needle as to project same into the path of the needle, and actuating means for said pressing means.

2. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, a guiding groove on said foot adjacent the working point for guiding a folded edge of material longitudinally past the needle but at a position laterally thereof, a material pressing finger on said foot and pressing means on said foot, controlled by the longitudinal movement of said material, for periodically so pressing finger against said folded material at a point closely adjacent the needle as to project said edge into the path of the needle.

3. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, movable means on said foot extending into said opening adjacent said working point for guiding and engaging a folded edge of material longitudinally past said working point but at a position laterally thereof, and means on said presser foot, controlled by the movement of the material longitudinally past said foot, for actuating said guiding and engaging means to so press the folded edge of the material adjacent said working point as to project said edge over said working point.

4. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point in said opening, said foot having material guiding means on its bottom face extending on each end of said opening, said means being aligned with said working point, movable means on said foot extending into said opening adjacent said working point for guiding and engaging a folded edge of material past said working point, but at a position laterally thereof, and rotatable means on said 35 presser foot, said rotatable means 'being adapted to actuate saidguiding and engaging means'to so press the folded edge of'the material adjacent said working point as to project said edge over said working point.

5. An attachment for sewingmachines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working'point in said opening, said foothaving a'material guiding groove in its bottom face,extending on each end of said opening and aligned with said working point, movable means on said foot extending into said opening adjacent said' working pointfor guiding and engaging a folded edge of material past'said working. point, but at a position laterally thereof, and rotatable means on said presser foot for actuating said guiding and engaging means to so press the folded edge "of the'material adjacent said working point as to project said edge over said working point.

6. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein adapted for the operation of aneedle, shiftable mate rial guiding and pressing means on said foot extending into said opening adjacent the working point for guiding a folded edge of material longitudinally past said point,

but at a position slightlylaterally thereof, said guiding and pressing means straddling said folded edge, said guiding means being positioned along the outer margin of'said edge, said pressing means overlying said edge, and means on saidfo'ot, for periodically so shifting said guiding and. pressing means as to press a portion of said folded edge at a point closely adjacent said working point and project said edge slightly over said working point.

7. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot having an opening to receive a needle, movable means on said foot extending into said opening for engaging and guiding a folded edge of material longitudinally past said needle, but laterally of the path of its downward stroke, and means on said foot connected to said movable means for actuating said engaging and guiding means to so press a portion of the folded edge of thematerial adjacent the needle as to project said edge into the path of the needle.

8. 'An attachment for sewing machines of the typehaving a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot, movable material engaging and guiding means on said foot adjacent the needle for engaging and. guiding a folded edge of materiallongitudinally. past the needle but at a position laterally thereof, and means on said foot connected to saidmovable means to drive said guiding and engaging means so as to project said folded edge into the path of the needle.

9. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot, movable material guiding and engaging'means on said foot adjacent the needle for. guiding and engaging a folded edge of material longitudinally past the needle, but at a position laterally thereof, and rotatable means on said foot, coacting with said guiding and engaging means, to periodically project a portion of said folded edge adjacent the needle into the path'of the'needle.

10. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot, a wheel on said foot adjacent the needle, yieldable material guiding and engaging means on said foot for engaging and guiding a folded edge of material longitudinally past said needle and at a position laterally thereof, said wheel biasing said guiding means in said lateral direction, and means on said wheel, coacting with said guiding and engaging means to periodically release said bias, said engaging and guiding means thereupon shifting a portion of said folded edge laterally into the path of the said needle.

11. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, a rotatable wheel on said foot, a lever on said foot having an arm engaging said wheel, means on said foot *6 urging said lever against said wheel,'material guiding and pressing means on said lever extending into said opening and positioned laterally of said working point, and means on said wheel, coacting with said lever, for periodically shifting said guiding and pressing means towards said workingp'oint when the wheel is rotated.

'1'2. 'An attachmentfor sewing machines of the type having a rec'iprocatingneedle comprisingapresser'foot having a rotatablewheel thereon positioned laterally of said needle, material guiding and pressing means swinga'ble on said foot with respect to said needle, said means being engageable with a folded piece ofmaterial to ,guide same longitudinally pastsaid needle at a position laterally of its downward'path, said Wheel being rotated asthe material movespast saidneedle, said material guiding and pressing means having an arm engageable with said wheel, and means on said presser wheel, coacting with said arm, to swing said guiding and pressing means towards said needle as the material isfed to the wheel, said'pressing means soflatteningatportion of the folded edge of the materialadjacent the needle as to project said portion into the path of the needle.

13. 'An attachment for sewing machines of the type having areciprocating needle comprising apresser foot having-a heelportion and a-toeportion pivoted thereto,

means swingable on said toe. portion, extending to a-position adjacent 'the'needle, for guiding and engaging a folded edge of materiallongi-tudinallypast said needle, but-at a position laterally of the. path of'its downward stroke, a wheel on the heelportion, engageablewith said material and rotated as the material movesv past said needle, biasing means on said wheel, an arm on said material guiding and engaging means extending to said wheel, said'arm coacting with said wheel to-bias said. guiding and'engaging means away from the needle.

l4. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, shiftableguiding and engaging means on said foot adjacentsaid working 1 point for guiding a folded edge of materiallongitudinally'past said pointbutnata position laterally thereof,v a-wheel on saidfoot engageable with said material and rotated :as the material moves past said point, and means on said wheel, engageable with said guidingand engaging means, to shift said guiding and. engagingvmeans towardssaid working point.

15. An attachment for sewing machines of the type havinga reciprocating needle comprising-a. presser foot having a wheel thereonpositioned laterally of said needle, resilientmaterialguiding and engaging means onsaid foot, said means-comprisinga material fold guiding finger extending -in front of-said =needle,a material fold-engaging and flattening foot adjacent said finger and adapted to reston-said fold laterally of said needle; saidguiding and-engaging-means having an arm-cngaging-said wheel 0 and being spring biased towards said 'wheel bysaidarm,

saidwheel having means thereon for periodically releasing saidbias,--said'-foldguiding finger andsaid flattening foot shifting towards said needle upon' release-"of said bias, =said flattening foot-so' pressing a portion of said folded edge as to; project \it into the downward path of the needle when said bias is released.

16. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot having a wheel thereon positioned laterally of said needle, resilient material guiding and engaging means on said foot, said means comprising a material fold guiding yoke adapted to straddle the said fold, said yoke having a material fold lifting finger and a material fold pressing finger, said lifting finger extending closely adjacent said needle and lifting the fold of the material as it is fed past said needle, said pressing finger resting over the fold adjacent said lifting finger, said guiding and engaging ing and pressing fingers shifting towards said needle upon release of said bias, said pressing foot so pressing a portion of said folded edge as to project it into the downward path of the needle when said bias is released.

17. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, a rotatable wheel on said foot positioned laterally of said Working point, material guiding and engaging means on said foot having a material fold guiding finger extending towards said working point, said means comprising a material fold engaging and flattening foot adapted to rest on said fold laterally of said working point, said guiding means comprising an arm engaging said wheel, said presser wheel biasing said arm, finger and flattening foot laterally of said working point, and means on said wheel for periodically releasing said bias to cause said finger and foot to shift towards said working point when the wheel is rotated.

18. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, material guiding means on said foot adjacent said working point for guiding a folded edge of material longitudinally past said working point, a cam on said foot adjacent said working point, said cam being rotated as the material moves past said point, said guiding means having an arm engaging said cam, said arm biasing said guiding means laterally of said working point, said arm and cam coacting to project said guiding means towards said working point when the cam is rotated.

19. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, a rotatable wheel on said foot positioned laterally of said working point, yieldable material guiding and engaging means on said foot having a material fold guiding finger extending towards said working point, said means comprising a material fold engaging and flattening foot resting on said fold laterally of said working point, said guiding means comprising an arm engaging a side of said wheel, said wheel biasing said arm, finger and flattening foot laterally of said working point, said wheel having a cam notch on said side, said arm slipping into said notch periodically when said wheel is rotated and shifting said finger and flattening foot towards said working point.

20. An attachment for sewing machines comprising a presser foot having an opening therein and a working point in said opening, means thereon adjacent the opening for guiding and engaging a folded edge of material longitudinally past said point, but at a position laterally thereof, a rotatable presser wheel on said foot and a shoulder on said presser wheel adjacent said point for periodically so engaging said folded edge and pressing it at a point adjacent the working point as to project said edge over said point when the presser wheel is rotated.

21. The method of forming a blind stitch which comprises guiding a folded piece of material past and closely adjacent a reciprocating needle with the folded edge at a position laterally thereof, lifting said folded edge slightly as the material reaches the needle, and then so pressing said edge at a point closely adjacent the needle as to project said edge laterally into the path of the needle,

22. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, a guiding groove on said foot adjacent said working point for guiding a folded edge of material past the needle but at a position laterally thereof, said groove having an inclined wall to lift said edge as it is presented to the working point, and pressing means on said foot for so pressing said lifted and folded edge at a point closely adjacent the needle as to project same into the path of the needle.

23. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a presser bar and a needle bar comprising a body having a heel portion adapted for attachment to the presser bar, a toe portion pivoted thereto and having an opening therein with a working point extending below the needle bar, the pivot for said parts being mounted on said body portion and lying between said presser bar and needle bar; a guiding means on said toe portion eX- tending into the working point for guiding a folded edge of material past the needle, but at a position laterally thereof, pressing means on said toe portion for so pressing said folded edge at a point closely adjacent the needle as to project same into the path of the needle, and actuating means for said pressing means, said actuating means being mounted on said pivot.

2- An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, a guiding groove on said foot adjacent the working point for guiding a folded edge of material past the needle but at a position laterally thereof, a lip on said foot forwardly of said groove and extending outwardly thereof to lift and guide said material into said groove, pressing means on said foot for periodically so pressing said folded edge at a point closely adjacent the needle as to project same into the path of the needle, and actuating means for said pressing means.

25. An attachment for sewing machines of the type having a reciprocating needle comprising a presser foot having an opening and a working point therein, a guiding groove on said foot adjacent the working point for guiding a folded edge of material past the needle but at a position laterally thereof, a lip on said foot adjacent said groove and forwardly thereof, and having a portion thereof above the lower edge of the groove to lift and guide said material into said groove, pressing means on said foot for periodically so pressing said folded edge at a point closely adjacent the needle as to project same into the path of the needle, and actuating means for said pressing means.

References (Iitcd in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 740,298 Moore Sept. 29, 1903 1,067,419 Fifel July 15, 1915 1,917,776 Sailer July 11, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 489,405 Germany Jan. 16, 1930 

